How Unions Are Revolutionizing Health Care | Mary Fogarty on Labor-Owned Primary Care
Interview Summary: Mary Fogarty – Solidaritus Health
In this episode of the Union Labor Advisory Network podcast, host Mike Fina sits down with Mary Fogarty, National Taft-Hartley Liaison at Solidaritus Health, to explore how union values, lived experience, and labor-led innovation are reshaping health care for working families.
Union roots and why it matters
Mary shares how growing up in a union household—her father an Ironworker—made union life feel “normal,” until she realized how powerful it truly is. She emphasizes unions as a pathway to the middle class: providing fair wages, strong benefits, retirement security, and training that creates real mobility and long-term opportunity. She also highlights how today’s apprenticeships can connect to higher education—showing it’s no longer “college or trades,” but often both.
A personal calling: behavioral health and recovery
Mary explains that her decades-long commitment to behavioral health is deeply personal. After finding sobriety early in life, she dedicated her career to helping union members and families navigate addiction, mental health, and wellness challenges—especially within the building trades, where physical wear-and-tear and jobsite stress can increase risk. She notes how the trades have become leaders in peer support, member assistance, and reducing stigma—helping members stay healthy, stay working, and stay connected to their families.
What Solidaritus Health is building: labor-owned advanced primary care
Mary then breaks down what makes Solidaritus different: Labor-owned and labor-governed (no private equity influence)Designed to help Taft-Hartley and self-funded health & welfare funds control costs while improving outcomesBuilt around advanced primary care—with smaller patient panels (around 1,300 per doctor), allowing time, access, and continuityShe explains the model’s impact in plain terms: when members can get same/next-day care, urgent issues don’t become ER visits—and preventive care catches problems early (heart disease, diabetes, cancer screenings, kidney issues), saving lives and protecting long-term fund stability.
Better access, less friction for members. A key takeaway: members don’t need to change insurance, and the model is structured to remove common barriers:
No copays
Per-member-per-month structure
Same/next-day appointments
24/7 virtual access
Ability to receive many services normally pushed to urgent care/ER
Coalition-based approach that supports members across regions (so someone working in Queens but living in Suffolk can still access care)
Pride, ownership, and a legacy for union families
Mary ties it back to something unions understand deeply: ownership and legacy.
These centers are built union, supported union, and designed for union families—something members can point to with pride and say, “We built this. This is ours.” She describes the long-term vision as a true shift: a future where union kids and grandkids don’t even recognize the old “health care crisis” experience—long waits, rushed visits, confusing systems—because better care becomes the norm.
Advice for the next generation: Mary’s message to young union members is simple and strong:
Show up
Learn from the journeymen and mentors
Go to meetings
Understand what it means to be Union
Support other workers (don’t cross picket lines, stand with organizing drives)
Protect what earlier generations fought for
To learn more about labor-owned advanced primary care and how it can support union members and families, visit Solidaritus Health and connect with Mary Fogarty on LinkedIn. And as always—follow, like, and subscribe to the ULA Network as we continue supporting, educating, and promoting union labor—one story at a time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is labor-owned primary care?
Labor-owned primary care is a healthcare model in which unions have a direct role in owning and governing healthcare delivery. Through this approach, organizations like Solidaritus Health develop care networks designed around the needs of union members and their families, with an emphasis on access, quality, better outcomes, and cost control.
2. How does Solidaritus Health’s advanced primary care model work?
Solidaritus Health uses an advanced primary care model built around smaller patient panels, with approximately 1,300 patients per doctor. This allows providers to offer more time, access, and continuity for patients. The model also emphasizes same-day or next-day appointments, preventive care, and 24/7 virtual access to help members address health concerns before they become more serious.
3. What are the benefits of labor-owned primary care for union members?
Labor-owned primary care is designed to make healthcare more accessible and reduce common barriers for union members. Through the Solidaritus model, members can access care without copays, receive same-day or next-day appointments, and use 24/7 virtual services. The approach also emphasizes preventive care and early intervention to support better health outcomes and reduce unnecessary emergency room visits.
4. Do union members need to change their health insurance to access Solidaritus Health?
No. The Solidaritus Health model is structured so members do not need to change their existing health insurance. Its approach is designed to work alongside existing coverage while providing access to advanced primary care services.
5. How does Solidaritus Health support the behavioral health needs of union members and their families?
Solidaritus Health recognizes the importance of behavioral health, addiction recovery, mental health, and overall wellness. As Mary Fogarty explains, building trades workers can face physical demands and jobsite stress that increase the need for support. Union peer support programs, member assistance, and efforts to reduce stigma can help members navigate these challenges, stay connected to their families, and maintain their well-being.
